Not amazing I'm afraid, just someone who got a rude awakening and learned "later" isn't guaranteed.
I kinda knew that already, but figured that only happened to "other people" - sorry, don't really know how to word that in English, but I hope you understand what I mean by that.
It was a little too close to home for comfort, and I ain't getting any younger either

It was typed jokingly, but seriously ... the amount of time and money are insane.

If the damn fool had bought a normal boat, like regular folks , he would have spent his last years out on the water instead of working his butt off on the hard ...

(but nooooooooo, he had to have THAT hull, ducks and all
*sigh* men ....)

My brother bought a boat (also to live on) at nearly the same time I did.
I've been living aboard for over 2 years now, he (being a man ....) bought a casco to finish himself.
"It'll only take a year" he said. Haha, still building

Yeah i begin to understand what do you mean: to decide to move onboard, you must be a bit insane (or maybe very sane and a deep person) but build your own boat and then move it in 4 months is just crazy

However no regreet, i think there is nothing more noble for a man that build something with his own hands, it has the same pleasure, from the first touch to the living the finished stuff...It's a state of mind

Stefano: My wife and I had our two boys move out of the house in 1994, we had spent our lives dedicated to those two wonderful kids. When they left home we had no idea what to do with ourselves. That same year three of our parents retired and promptly died. We decided right there that we were not going to do the same. We sold the house within two weeks and moved onto the boat. That was over twenty years ago and we never regretted it. We love the life and will continue as long as we are physically able.

Go for it ! buy a decent popular boat that you will be able to sell if you change your mind. But do it now. You don't get a second chance at life and the last thing you want is to wake up 25 years from now saying "I wish I had tried it".

Oops, sorry, guess that's Dutch and not a word used in English.
Casco = empty shell - just the hull, nothing in or on it.

Like this:

And yes, I do admire my dad for what he managed to build.
He bought a 100 yr old, sunken hull with holes and ducks and eventhough not nearly finished with the interior when he passed away, that boat found a new owner who finished the work (the easy way: paid people to do it for him ) and is now happily sailing around.

I also admire what my brother is doing with his boat.

But ... looking at the huge and huge amount of work and the amounts of money ...
Both could have been doing what they wanted a lot sooner and cheaper.
That is not to say you shouldn't build your own boat!
I respect what these man can make with their own to hands, and am more then a little impressed and proud.

All I'm saying is, only do it when you know what you're getting yourself into, have the time and have the money (or don't mind working for it, as my brother does).
Both these guys, dad and brother, knew what they were up against and knowing that, made their choices.

Stefano: My wife and I had our two boys move out of the house in 1994, we had spent our lives dedicated to those two wonderful kids. When they left home we had no idea what to do with ourselves. That same year three of our parents retired and promptly died. We decided right there that we were not going to do the same. We sold the house within two weeks and moved onto the boat. That was over twenty years ago and we never regretted it. We love the life and will continue as long as we are physically able.

Go for it ! buy a decent popular boat that you will be able to sell if you change your mind. But do it now. You don't get a second chance at life and the last thing you want is to wake up 25 years from now saying "I wish I had tried it".

Oops, sorry, guess that's Dutch and not a word used in English.
Casco = empty shell - just the hull, nothing in or on it.

Like this:

And yes, I do admire my dad for what he managed to build.
He bought a 100 yr old, sunken hull with holes and ducks and eventhough not nearly finished with the interior when he passed away, that boat found a new owner who finished the work (the easy way: paid people to do it for him ) and is now happily sailing around.

I also admire what my brother is doing with his boat.

But ... looking at the huge and huge amount of work and the amounts of money ...
Both could have been doing what they wanted a lot sooner and cheaper.
That is not to say you shouldn't build your own boat!
I respect what these man can make with their own to hands, and am more then a little impressed and proud.

All I'm saying is, only do it when you know what you're getting yourself into, have the time and have the money (or don't mind working for it, as my brother does).
Both these guys, dad and brother, knew what they were up against and knowing that, made their choices.

Get it

Quote 100%
Let's say restoration, is one of the greatest things on earth, whatever, a boat, a classic car, a house, whatever, is the greatest satisfaction, i guess like have child (hope my gf will never read this LOL), there wasn't or it was bad, and you with your hands you create the beatifuliness of the life, of the bauty, of the clean, of the new and so on, and you see it grew up day after day, morning after morning, welding after welding (not the child), screw after screw, berths after berths, until the launching day, like a labor day, after 9 month (4 if premature and low performance ) you feel it alive

I can assure you that most boats are not in the condition, or equipped and so that the owner requires for their mission. It may not be a restoration per se... but boat people are almost always constantly fitting out, fixing, improving and so on their boats. Few to none buy a boat, turn the key and that's it. In fact that is very counter to the zen of sailing or being a boat person. It is engagement WITH the boat and while living or sailing it is engagement with the sea, the environment, with the vessel... CONSTANTLY. It is a life of constant engagement with your environment both micro and macro... within and without.

I, for one, never wanted to mix making money with something I find so "zen" so essential, so spiritual and fundamental at it's core. When it becomes a business all is subordinate to making money. And for me that is tossing the baby out with the bath water.

I like my profession but it is not "my life"... I don't identify as an architect.... I identify as a "sailor". I make a living when I work.. or must work as an architect... I live a life as much as I can when I aboard or better yet sailing.

It's about engagement and immersion with the elements and the forces of nature.

A well-traveled buddy of mine has an 80' San Lorenzo. It's paid for. He doesn't have to charter it but ya gotta do something, so to somewhat stem the tide of out-flowing dollars, he now runs a small charter biz. The boat looked pretty great already but the decision required a vast outlay on re-furnishings. A vast outlay. Of course the A/C needs are enormous so that got replaced along with quite serviceable TVs, heads, beds, kayaks, jet skis ... all to make a genuine yacht into a showpiece fit for non-heavenly stars.

I see the owner often and his jestful catch-phrase is "livin' the dream." Two beers later, tho, he will own up to how the decision turned him from a man about town into a chamber maid-cum-purser. While he employs a cleaning crew, and food caterers, he and the ladyfriend have to run the many errands, maintenance, and so forth. The lady friend has a real, professional job leaving my buddy with more unpleasant things to do than he ever imagined. Those things are not his strong suit.

As a low-income person, hoping to build a charterable yot in a few months with little expertise and less experience, I think you might have more chance of success by wishing upon a star.
..............

Hey Lizzy, if you hadn't mentioned English was a second language, I doubt anyone would think so. You even have the idiomatische uitdrukkingen down pat. (Dats one of dos.) Also, anytime you wonder if I'm joking, I am. There is no worse curse than being a quipster.

I was also thinking, what about in stead of spend all the 80-90.000 to buy-build the boat with more berth possible, as Lizzy says, to be used only 42 days a year,
Icould save quite much, buying-building something smaller, and cheaper like a seaworthy, selfrightening, pocket cruisers, about 28-30 ft max, just a big kitchen, big owner's room, another 2 berths for friend and nothing else, pilothouse with a table and STOP. Just what we need, i really love the semplicity and the size.

Not anymore chartering issue that you MUST be in croatia every summer, meaning freedom complete, lot less mainteniance expense, easier to manage, ecc

About financing, my parent has a flat for rent that makes about 500 euro a months so live with this (like in turkey or greece) and some work here and there...

While getting the boat belgian flagged,you can't charter but you can do whatever you want, it's your responsability and nothing else, 100 euro a year fee and nothing else...a very big save from italian flagged vessel.